Sun Valley, ID -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/29/2018 --The Chimblo family, Rick, Rianne, Teal, and Chris will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters / 19,340 ft.) on the 7-day Machame Route at the end of January 2018. Mount Kilimanjaro, located three degrees south of the equator in northeastern Tanzania, is the tallest mountain in Africa, and the highest freestanding mountain in the world. To summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, Chimblos will be using adventure travel outfitter Adventures within Reach (adventureswithinreach.com).

Why Kilimanjaro? "As a Family, we see summiting Kilimanjaro as an opportunity for personal growth and adventure, and a way to share an epic experience together," explains Teal Chimblo-Fyrberg. "Our family loves hiking, traveling and being in nature. None of us have been to Africa before, and we are as excited about exploring this beautiful land and meeting its people as we are about our big hike."

The Machame Route, also known as the Whiskey Route, is the second most popular route up Mt. Kilimanjaro, as it is a more difficult route, but incredibly beautiful. The trek is not a technical climb, but summit day is long, strenuous, and at an incredibly high elevation. Nonetheless, "Mt. Kilimanjaro is our most popular trek," says Robin Paschall, owner of Adventures Within Reach. "Of the famous 'Seven Summits,' this is the easiest to get to and to climb. It requires no technical climbing experience, and a moderately fit person can summit the mountain with training and perseverance. Most people add a cultural tour like a safari before or after their trek. This is really a trip of a lifetime."

Kilimanjaro is not only the "Roof of Africa," it is the fourth highest of the Seven Summits on our planet. "We are not technical mountaineers, so the opportunity to summit a major mountain with just the power of our strong hearts and bodies is a dream come true," Teal continues.

They have been hiking the mountains of Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado for more than ten years. Some of the highlights of hikes they have made together with family to prepare for Kilimanjaro:

- Mount Pisgah (5722 feet) in the Appalachian Mountain Range in North Carolina
- Mount Mitchell (6684 feet), the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains
- Horsetooth Mountain (7260 feet) in Colorado
- Machu Picchu Mountain (7972 feet) in Peru
- Pachamama Peak (13,576 feet) near Lake Titicaca, Peru
- Ipsaycocha Pass (14,764 feet) on the Lares Trail in Peru
- Apachete Pass (15,026 feet) on the Salkantay Trail in Peru